Little Lessons
by samantha-darling
Summary: Each relationship is a journey and an education *series of un related one-shots* now rated M
1. Driver's Ed

"You don't have to teach me how to drive. I'm sure Ben can help me."

"And where do you think he learned from? Get in." Gwen sighed as she walked around to the driver's side of Kevin's car. She hesitated as her hand reached for the latch and she looked across the rooftop at his serious face. He raised his eyebrows and gestured for her to keep going.

She would've been lying if she had she had planned this. It had been an early release day at school and the first and only place Gwen had thought of going was to Kevin's garage. It was a nice day, sunny and warm, so she walked the ten minutes or so to the other side of town where it was located. Sure enough, she could hear him cussing and throwing around some of his tools as she got closer. The minute he saw her peek her redhead around the corner, his demeanor shifted. He had smiled, though he had tried to hide it, and she took it to mean that she was allowed to come inside. They fell into their normal routine (he worked on whatever car happened to be there and she sat and talked to him from his workbench) when she mentioned that she had made the appointment for her driver's test and she was nervous. Kevin, after rolling himself out from underneath an old sedan, had offered to let her drive his car. She had refused at first, but the more she resisted, the more he pushed for her to do it.

"Alright." She took a deep breath and opened the door. The whole action felt wrong. She was so used to just simply getting into the passenger seat with no questions asked that it almost felt like she was being forced to get behind the wheel. As she adjusted his seat forward so she could reach the pedals, she began to regret even asking him to help her prepare for her driver's test. He was so touchy about his Camaro (considering the amount of money he had sunk into it, she didn't blame him) and she wasn't sure she was ready to face the consequences should her inexperienced handling of the machine cause it to come to harm.

"First things first, don't be nervous." He said, turning on his side so he was somewhat facing her. He grabbed both of her hands in his and placed them on the worn steering wheel, making them close around the smooth padded material. "Until your comfortable, you drive with both hands. Got it?" She nodded eagerly. His hands lingered for a moment or two, as if he was making sure that she was telling the truth.

"Got it." She confirmed. He gave a lopsided smile at her response.

"Now, start the car." With those four little words, her anxiety began to build again. The keys jingled harshly as she brushed against them, grabbing the one already placed in the ignition and turned. The engine roared to life and she was so surprised she forgot to release the key. Kevin hurriedly reached forward and removed her fingers. "You don't have to keep starting it once its started. It'll hurt your car."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Remember, don't be nervous. Adjust the mirrors so you can see everything." She nodded and swallowed, running her hands down her nylons to try and remove the sticky, clammy feeling before reaching up to wiggle the rearview mirror around. After a couple of tries, she got it right and then moved on to the side mirrors. "Good, now, do you know which pedal is the gas and the brake?"

"Yes." To show him, she lightly tapped the gas and then the brake. Kevin nodded satisfactorily.

"Okay, here's the next question: Where's the clutch?"

"The clutch?" Gwen colored as he waited for her answer. What was a clutch? They hadn't mentioned anything about a clutch in her driver's education course. She peered between her knees at her feet, noticing a smaller pedal to the left of the break. "There?"

"Good. I'm impressed. You have to let the clutch in and out when you're shifting gears in a manual. Most cars are automatic, which means the engine shifts between gears for you, but I prefer to do it myself. You've got to have pretty good coordination." He finished. Gwen eyed him suspiciously, waiting for him to start bragging about his driving abilities, but his face was sober and his eyes were watching her carefully. She swallowed and nodded, realizing that, for once, he wasn't going to tease her if she didn't get something right away.

"Well, I like to think of myself as pretty coordinated. How do I make it go?" At this, Kevin gave an easy laugh and leaned backward into the passenger seat. He squirmed slightly, trying to get comfortable. She didn't think he'd ever sat in that seat before. It was more fitted to her body than his.

"Look at your stick. Right now, you're in park. You see this pattern?" He pointed at a series of lines and numbers arranged in what looked like a strange H on the console above the stick shift. Gwen peered over, following his finger as he traced it from P to 1. "What you're going to do is press down on the clutch, move your stick up to one, and then slowly let the clutch out. The car will start moving forward." Gwen looked up at the entrance of the garage. Suddenly, the short distance seemed so long. The garage door shrunk away from her and she had to blink a bit before the dimensions of the space shifted back to normal. She remembered Kevin's warning not to be nervous and readied herself to drive his car.

With her left foot, she pressed down on the clutch. Her ankle shook slightly as she held the pedal down as hard as she could. With her right hand, she reached down and wiggled it around until she found purchase on the shifter. For a moment she paused and then Kevin's large, warm hand closed over the top of hers. She glanced over at him. He was intently staring down at the shifter, but there was a small, encouraging smile playing at his lips. For being so adamantly against anyone touching the car besides him, he seemed as if he was truly enjoying her lesson.

"Release the clutch. Slowly." Her foot eased up off the pedal and then the Camaro lurched forward. Gwen let out the ghost of a shriek and the hand on the shifter flew back to the steering wheel. Kevin had put an arm out to brace himself on the dashboard. After catching the breath she had temporarily stolen, he laughed a bit.

"Good. A little slower next time, but good."

"How do I stop it?" She quickly asked as they neared the edge of his driveway. Kevin shook his head.

"You're only in first gear. Just brake, throw your signal, and turn right. The roads out that way are a bit more deserted than farther in town."

"Good idea." She agreed. The engine growled as she eased on the brake, flipping the directional up towards the ceiling. Inside the console, she could see the flickering of a little green arrow blinking in tune with the clicking sound emanating from somewhere in front of her. She checked both ways more than once, choosing to ignore Kevin's amused expression. He was keeping relatively silent. The last thing she wanted was to ruin his charitable mood.

"When you get out on the road, press the clutch in like you did before and we'll shift into second." Gwen nodded and eased off the brake. The car moved effortlessly down and out into the road. Once she had straightened, she pressed in the clutch, and moved her hand to the shifter. Again, Kevin's reassuring touch helped guide her. "Release and give her a little gas." Once again, she let off the clutch a little too fast and they both were thrown forward a bit. Not allowing this tiny misstep to bother her, she pressed down on the gas perhaps a little too enthusiastically. The car shot forward and she yelped as she pulled the wheel a little too hard in one direction. "I said a little gas!" Kevin yelled as he slammed against the side of the passenger door.

"I did!" Gwen insisted. The wheel wobbled under her grip and she could see Kevin twitching to reach over and grab it. He didn't. His hands clamped down on the door and the edge of the seat.

"Don't push the brake. Let her glide for a bit. Then, again, just a little." Gwen took a deep breath and steadied her hands on the wheel. Her foot hovered over the gas pedal until she was back at a comfortable speed and then she just barely pressed down. This time, the car began to do what she wanted it to do. She gave a small laugh, feeling accomplished. Kevin grinned at her widely. "You don't have to push on the pedal hard to get her to go. She's got a V8 after all." Gwen raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"A V8? Like the tomato juice?" Kevin groaned and rolled his eyes.

"No, Gwen, not like the tomato juice. A V8 is a type of engine. Most sports cars have V8s because they let you go faster."

"Naturally." She mumbled, feeling stupid. They had reached the outer limits of Bellwood. Out here, the buildings and houses drained away slowly until the corn and wheat fields took over. The lane narrowed as the reached the welcome sign for the town. She wondered if he would suggest they turn back, but he just pointed up through the windshield at the endless horizon.

"You can probably bump it up into third now. The speed limit's gone up."

"Help me?" Gwen asked quietly. Kevin didn't look at her, but he nodded.

"Naturally." She smiled as she repeated the previous motions, already finding the movements coming easier. The pattern changed as she went into third and as she pushed the car faster ahead, the vibration through her fingers moved into her heart and shot a thrill through her veins. Her mouth went a bit dry as she pressed the pedal down, watching the speedometer's needle slowly push to the right. No wonder Kevin liked to drive. The rest of the world fell away and all that mattered was the friction between the tires and the road.

"I think I'm liking this whole driving thing." She said with a smirk. Kevin, looking somewhat bored in the passenger seat, reached an arm over behind the back of her seat. He was smiling, but as she glanced at him, she noticed that his eyes were focused intently on the glove box. "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no, you're doing fine."

"I didn't mean me." She said, giving him a pointed look.

"Just watch the road, princess." She frowned and turned her eyes back to the pavement stretching out in front of them. When he had first called her that, it had made her so angry. He meant it to. But now, as their relationship had progressed, it had kind of evolved into a term of endearment. He knew that it still got her a bit heated, though, and as such, didn't use it very often. The exceptions were when he was feeling frisky or feeling distracted.

"Do you want me to turn around?"

"No, keep going. Best way to practice driving is driving." She thought she detected the smallest hint of dejection in his tone. She felt somewhat unnerved at the transformation.

"Do you not want me to drive?" She asked seriously. He didn't respond right away and she suddenly felt like pulling over and trading places. Maybe she had overstepped her bounds by agreeing to let him teach her how to drive with his car.

"No. It's not that." He finally responded. Sensing the opening he was giving her, she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "Just thinking about what'll it be like when I don't have to drive you and Ben around all the time." Gwen's eyes widened a bit at his statement, but softened when she realized what he was trying to say. Grabbing the shifter by herself, she brought the car back down into first and pulled off onto a dead end country alley.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked, broken out of his semi-reverie. Gwen put the car into park and shut it off. There were one or two farmhouses down this road, but she had parked well between any of them, the wide open space expanding out on either side of the vehicle. Kevin looked around confusedly before she took her hand in his and kissed the side of his face. He went still beneath her touch.

"Kevin, just because I'm getting my license doesn't mean I don't want you to drive me around anymore." He was quiet for a minute, his face flushing slightly as he processed the information.

"Who said anything about that?" She smiled, but held in the little laugh that bubbled in her throat. He was trying not to look at her, trying to remain casual and unaffected.

"You don't have to pick me up from school anymore if you don't want to." She offered. It would be a bit disappointing to not walk across the courtyard and drink in the sight of him waiting for her against the hood of the Camaro, but if there was a compromise to be found out of it, she'd agree.

"I want to." He said it so quickly that she almost missed it. She blinked at him a few times and thought about asking him to repeat himself. Kevin looked up at her through his black bangs. She'd never tire of the smolder in his eyes. "I want to." He said again.

"Okay." Without warning, Kevin leaned over the stick shift and kissed her. Her heart did a flip in her chest. They'd been officially dating for almost a year now and the back seat of the car she was driving had seen more than one loving make out session. Still, every time he pressed his lips to hers, it was like they were kissing for the first time. They continued like that until they had run out of breath, pulling away, about to dive in for more, when there was a distinct, loud beep from Kevin's back pocket.

"Your cousin better have a pretty damn good reason for paging me." He said as he dug the Plumber's badge out form beneath him. Gwen was in complete agreement. She sat back in the driver's seat and held onto the wheel to try and stop the world from spinning.

"What does he want?"

"He just says he wants us to meet him at the usual hang out." Gwen sighed and rubbed her eyes. She sensed Kevin's eyes upon her.

"You want to drive back?" Kevin shook his head. He gave her one last kiss on her forehead and leaned back into his seat, folding his powerful arms up behind his head.

"Nah. I think I'm liking this whole passenger thing. For now."

Of course, that all changed when Gwen had accelerated a bit too fast into a guardrail and dented his front bumper.

* * *

A/N: To answer any questions, this is based before Ben 10: Ultimate Alien: Computer Games. (Thanks to Tawnyfur for letting me know I got the episode mixed up..:D ) I come from a long line of gear heads so I just couldn't resist. It's probably not the best work as I kind of churned it out in one day, but I'm working on another, so we'll just wait and see.


	2. What Comes Next

The night is quiet. The air is warm and sticky. There is an early summer haze over Bellwood tonight; there is a haze over Kevin Levin.

He sits in his garage, in the dark, a cool longneck bottle grasped in one hand. The beer doesn't taste the same as it used to. He remembers drinking when he was younger, loving the way the alcohol felt inside of him, the smooth sensation as it went down. Now, its just piss. Piss and water and something that gives him a dull, annoying headache. It is the same problem with the cigarettes. Even now, staring at the glowing embers of the paper and the tobacco and the nicotine, the smoke isn't like it was when he was a kid. It used to help. Nothing helps anymore.

The clock that used to hang upon the wall is demolished at the other end of the space. Its carcass lies where it landed after he tore it off of its thumbtack and launched it as hard as he could. Insides made of metal and black plastic sprawl over the concrete, the mechanical heart no longer whirring. The ticking was driving him insane. The endless procession of meaningless seconds and minutes and hours had gotten to him before he could bring himself back from the brink. He smiles an empty smile as he takes a swig of his beer. It is a nice feeling to not know what time it is, to not care.

The phone has been ringing. He is not answering. The answering machine beeps and beeps and beeps and beeps and beeps. It is full. He is not answering. He is not taking messages. There is no one calling who he wants to speak with because no one calling is her.

_Do you think we are going to be able to do this forever?_

They say hindsight is 20/20 and he knows it is a cliché because it is the truth. She asked him this question after her graduation ceremony was interrupted by Ben and one of his alien encounters. He remembers looking down at her, holding her diploma, her expensive cap and gown torn and ruined, and thinking what a stupid question it was. Of course they were going to do this forever. They were Plumbers, weren't they? Her grandfather made a career out of it; why couldn't they? They were a great team, weren't they? They were meant for this life. Weren't they?

But now he knows what she really meant. It wasn't just about aliens or fighting or career paths. It was about them. It was his sign, the blinking neon billboard to warn him that she was having seconds thoughts about their relationship.

She was going to college. How could she not? Despite all of their extracurricular activities, she had managed to give her class Valedictorian a run for his money. Her parents expected her to continue her education. When she asked him about it, he lied and told her he wanted her to go because it was what was best for her. Then he let it drop. He didn't talk about it, he didn't think about it. In all of his stubborn glory, he had refused to accept that it was an inevitability that she would leave, mostly because he knew what that meant.

He rubs his bleary eyes and takes another drag of his nearly extinguished cigarette. The smoke is stale in his mouth and lungs, tasteless when he exhales it out between his lips and over his tongue. He is lightheaded. He hates it, but he hates his weakness more. In his sadness, in his utter devastation, he begins to hate her too.

_What are we going to do when we turn 30? 40? 50? _

He throws the beer across the garage. The glass breaks with a satisfying crunch, shards skittering and scratching against the concrete. He wants to break it again and again and again. He throws the cigarette but there is no noise, no spark. He needs to hear the destruction, he needs to hear some sort of physical manifestation of what is going on inside of his chest. There is a wrench on the floor beside his creeper. When he grabs it, the thick metal drags along the floor. The grating sound rings in his ears, even after he has used it to the smash the passenger window of his car. It is not enough. The sound of glass shattering, of his heart breaking, is not enough to drown out her voice inside of his skull. He is 18. Who cares about 30 or 40 or 50? Why care about the future when there is s much going on now? Why did she have to be so concerned with growing up and moving on?

_What about our future?_

He brings the wrench down onto the hood of the car. The metal bends and groans. He swings it into the door, only getting angrier when his hit is bounced back at him. There is a madman in his garage tonight. He is no longer there. With a growl, the passenger door is ripped open. His hands grasp the cushioned seat and pulls. He pulls and pulls and pulls until screws pop, metal creaks, fabric rips. The bucket seat goes flying out into the garage. He falls back onto his haunches and looks at what he's wrought. The lungs inside of his chest plead for air as he gasps and pants and wheezes. The muscles in his arms whine at the effort he's just put into rearranging his car. In front of him, the seat sits, a hulking shadow in the darkness. A car passes. Its headlights momentarily illuminates the scene. He hangs his head in his hands, unable to look at the mess he's made, the mess she caused.

He should have said that they would make it work no matter what. He should have told her that he would make anything work as long as it was with her. The words flew through his head tauntingly because they knew, just as he did, that the opportunity to make her stay was gone. Like the cool, autumnal breezes which saw them embrace, saw them kiss, saw them love. He wipes the sweat off of his forehead and curses the heat and the summer. He curses the flow of time and the forces of nature and the cruel twist and turn of life and fate. He curses her even as he yearns for her because he has a feeling that no matter what he said, no matter what he did, the end would have been the same.

_I love you Kevin..._

It was in the passenger seat that she kissed him for the first time. They were waiting for her cousin to get ready. He was staring at the younger man's door, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel. She was staring as well, but sitting perfectly still and perfectly poised. He doesn't remember what was said or who spoke first but the corner of his mouth distinctly remembers the velvety feel of her lips, the sweet scent of her breath, the captivating warmth of her body.

That's all their relationship had been until the last year, stolen kisses and passionate embraces. She was adamant about waiting to get more intimate, and fool he was for her, he promised her he wouldn't make a move until she let him. He knows now he should have told her to keep her distance. She was too close to begin with. Sleeping with her only drove the nail deeper, forced her farther under his skin. It was what he wanted. He wanted to be as close to her as possible. He needed to be as close to her as possible. He was an idiot.

Like the naughty young adults they were, they made love for the first time in her bedroom, late one night when her parents were forced to take a trip out of town for the weekend. The house was dark, the driveway empty. She told him to either walk or park the car farther down the block. Not fearing the night, he walked. He climbed in through her open window, though he could have easily used the front door, delighted and scared absolutely shitless to find her waiting for him under her bed sheets. At first he thought she was asleep. When he got closer, he realized she was more than awake. Her emerald eyes gazed up at him with a poignant mixture of fear, desire, and anticipation. She was barely breathing she was so nervous. Not thinking, yet thinking at the same time, he inserted himself beside her, not even bothering to take off his shoes, regretting the decision when he found her naked. They both blushed in the dark at her boldness, but when he had shed his footwear, along with the rest of his clothing, the embarrassment melted away fast enough. She didn't know what she was doing, and he certainly didn't, but he didn't let it stop him from taking her in his arms and taking the plunge.

It was a clumsy but wonderful affair. It was short, yet seemed to last forever. Every touch, every caress was intensified, every kiss an explosion. She clung to him like she was afraid of drowning, encouraging him with every soft noise, every jut of her beautiful hips. He looked into her eyes and tried to show her what he was thinking, what he was feeling. When she teared up, he thought he was successful. There would never be another girl. There couldn't be. It had to be her. It had to be. He buried his face in her neck and whispered wholeheartedly that he loved her and she answered without any hesitation.

_But..._

He screams. He screams and pounds his head with his fists and tries to forget the memory of her mouth moving, of her vocal chords working, of her whispers, her moans, her groans, her cries. He tries to forget the curves and dips and hills of her body. He tries to forget the softness of her hair, the sparkling of her eyes, the quality of her laughter. He tries and he fails. The phone rings again and he snaps. In an instant, the set is snagged from the jack. With one fist, he crushes it, another technological fatality of his rampage. It is not enough. Again the waves of sorrow arise within him and threaten to drown him.

He overturns his workbench and sends tools and boxes and screws and nails flying. The oil can he had set down spills and chugs black, viscous liquid out onto the concrete. He kicks it as hard as he can. He picks up a mallet and flings it somewhere, he isn't sure where. There isn't enough beer in the world to ease his hurt. There isn't a cigarette in existence that could cure his ails. He could smash the entire garage, burn his car, but it would be like a band-aid over a gunshot wound. The garage is a war zone and he doesn't care. The car is nothing. The money is nothing.

Nothing he could do would bring her back. She is gone. Yet, she is here. He hears her voice, he feels her touch. He meant what he said to her that night, even if he never really said it. There is no other girl. There is only the hole she left. There is only the haze.

_...this is never going to work._


	3. Decidedly

"Gwen?" She blinked behind her sunglasses, popping up the drooping brim of her hat with a finger at the sound of her name. The sun-drenched beach was hell at this time of the day and even with all the shade she had provided for herself, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Kevin, amazingly human once again, stood in front of her in his simple swim trunks, a rather large beach ball jammed between one of his muscular arms and his hip. He was frowning at her.

"What?" She set the book she had been reading down on her lap, letting him know she now had his full attention.

"You know, its not very nice to ignore everybody after dragging them out to the beach." He said, his tone laden with irritation. Gwen rolled her eyes and removed her sunglasses, sensing the onset of one of his moods. She placed the book to the side of the lawn chair she had been reclining upon and crawled to her feet. Outside the comfort of her large umbrella, the sun was radiant upon her body and she squinted up at Kevin through the glare. She noticed how he craned his neck to try and get a glimpse of what she had been reading.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just got caught up in my book. Where'd you get that beach ball?" She asked. Kevin, easily distracted, gave her a mischievous smile.

"Let's just say I found it."

"Kevin. Stealing isn't nice you know."

"Yeah, well, Ben and Julie thought it was a good idea. They're putting up a net as we speak. We figured a friendly match would be fun." Without warning, he flung the beach ball at her. Gwen easily caught it, unable to suppress a smile of her own. Indeed a fun game of volleyball might be just what she needed right about now. She had been feeling sore and stressed after the battle with Vilgax. None of her usual techniques had seemed to be working, so when all Kevin and Ben could do was sit and complain about the heat, she used their misery to coerce them into taking a trip to the beach for the afternoon. Julie called only a moment later asking if there was anything they were up to that day, and the quartet made travel arrangements down to the ocean front.

"Boys versus girls?" She asked, reaching up to remove her hat. Kevin scratched her head as if in deep thought, but there was an unmistaken twinkle in his eye.

"I don't know. I don't think me and Ben against you and Julie would be very fair." He said slowly. Gwen raised an eyebrow. She squeezed the beach ball between her hands, testing if it was inflated properly. Then, she launched it as hard as she could at her boyfriend's head.

"If that's a challenge, I accept!"

Ben and Julie had set the net a bit closer to the water where there was plenty of leg room. The majority of the beach goers had laid their towels farther up on the sand, content to work on their tans and their social life rather than swim. Kevin had led her to the spot seemingly in a better mood now that he had her attention. He held her hand as they walked and they chatted easily. It was much better than the last time they had decided to take a bit of a break by the ocean, when Charmcaster had reared her ugly silver head.

"So, um, I've been meaning to ask you something. Or, rather, tell you something I guess." Kevin began uneasily. Gwen, absentmindedly chewing a chipped nail, caught the change in his tone. She stopped walking, allowing him to continue a few more paces before turning and facing her. Their joined hands filled the space between them, neither really wanting to let the other go. Kevin stared down at the area around her feet. She could tell he was trying to keep his face unreadable.

"Alright."

"Things have been pretty normal lately. And I've had some time to think about, you know, us."

"Yeah?" Gwen urged gently.

"And-"

"Hey! Kevin! Throw me the ball!" Ben cried out across the heated expanse. Kevin jumped a little and cursed under his breath at the interruption. She bit her lip at the unexpected loss of contact. He turned to answer her cousin, but before he completely faced away from her, he gave her a pointed look. They would continue the conversation later. Gwen was left wondering what he wanted and she too inwardly cursed Ben for his poor timing.

"You asked for it!" Kevin yelled, cocking the ball back behind his head.

"Hey!" Gwen jumped a bit as a loud voice boomed behind her. She turned and came face to face with a greasy, orange torso and a gleaming gold chain. The bald man before her was tall and bulky with a rather ugly fake tan and an embarrassingly small Speedo. Gwen blushed as he brushed past her, close enough where her nose was filled with an overpowering cologne. "That's MY ball." He growled under his breath. Kevin didn't seem phased.

"I don't see your name on it, cupcake." He bit back. The man shot out and grabbed Kevin's arm, yanking backwards on it hard enough to unsettle Kevin's balance. The ball nearly fell out of his grip.

"Excuse me, are you sure there isn't some mistake?" Gwen interrupted quickly, seeing the black-haired teen's eyes narrow dangerously. The man turned to look at her, pausing slightly to take in her appearance. She frowned, deeply annoyed, when his eyes paused at her chest. That annoyance transferred to her glance at Kevin. He averted her accusatory glare.

"I don't make mistakes baby."

"Baby?" She snorted. Kevin audibly growled. Ben and Julie, sensing a disturbance, had come running.

"What's going on?" Ben asked worriedly. Kevin ripped his wrist from the man's grip, placing the beach ball back against his hip. The man took a quick survey around him, realizing he was surrounded, and then pointed a beefy finger at Kevin.

"Your pal took my beach ball, that's what's going on."

"Prove it!" Kevin shot back. The two stared each other down for a moment or so before Gwen decided to step in. She placed herself evenly between Kevin and the man, putting on her best smile.

"Listen boys, there's no need for things to get heated. I'm sure this is all just one big misunderstanding. Are you sure this is your beach ball? Maybe yours got blown away or something?" She suggested, hoping to satiate the man's ego firstly before offering him back the ball. It was pretty apparent than Kevin had lifted it from wherever this guy had come from, but she had been looking forward to a nice game of volleyball. The man paused for a moment, still openly staring at her bikini top. Ben and Julie stood a few paces back, watching with interest as he began to stroke a small patch of hair growing on his chin.

"Maybe. I could be persuaded that that's what happened." He said in a slick voice. Gwen crossed her arms over herself. She had a feeling that she was not going to like where this was heading. Behind her, she could hear Kevin adjust his grip on the beach ball. Apparently, he could tell as well.

"You keep your slimy hands to yourself, buddy." Kevin threatened. The man looked sharply over Gwen's shoulder.

"Slimy? Look who's talking!" He snapped. Kevin lurched forward quickly and Gwen had to pivot on her heels in order to hold him back.

"Calm down Kevin. He's just being very rude." She said firmly, with a poignant glare aimed in the man's direction. He opened his mouth to retort when Ben decided to join in the fray.

"If it's such a big deal, just take the ball."

"Ben! What the hell are you doing?" Kevin yelled. He promptly pushed the beach ball behind his back. Gwen rolled her eyes and released her hold on him. The man behind her laughed irritatingly.

"Forget the ball. I'll take the view instead." A sharp smack caught Gwen on her backside and she gave a squeak as she realized she had just been spanked. The beach ball in Kevin's hands popped loudly and he lunged past her, landing a solid punch square on the man's jaw. As the stranger stumbled backward, he and Ben placed themselves in front of her.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life." Kevin warned. He kept his fists raised defensively. Ben didn't seem much happier, but he threw an arm out in front of Kevin regardless.

"Easy Kevin. Let's just send him on his way, alright?" Julie moved over to stand beside Gwen, eyeing the tattered remains of the beach ball as she walked.

"What a creep." She muttered. "We should have just given back his ball and let him go."

"Yeah. And the day had been going so well." Gwen agreed. Her backside still smarted and she felt a familiar flash of anger in the bottom of her stomach as the man stumbled to his feet. He swiped at his swollen jaw, peering at her between the bodies of the two boys.

"You should keep your dog on a tighter leash." He spat. Gwen clenched her fists even as Kevin moved forward to give the guy another blow. He never got the chance. The man yelped as his sunglasses exploded on the bridge of his nose in a puff of white smoke and he once again found himself on his backside. The skin beneath the shades was a rather raw shade of pink and his small, beady eyes darted around in fear.

"Who did that? What the hell was that?" He asked quickly. Kevin and Ben gave each other a bewildered look, turning back to look at Gwen. The redhead's eyes were magenta, but then she blinked, and they were back to the usual green.

"Gwen? " Julie whispered. Gwen simply gave an innocent shrug and bent down to pick up the beach ball. She walked over and placed it on the man's bald head, giving him a merciless smirk as he looked at up her with a mixture of awe and fear.

"The only dog that should be kept on a tighter leash is you. Here's your ball. Now run along." The man didn't need to be told twice. He scurried off, leaving a spray of flying sand in his wake. Ben watched him go and then groaned into his palms.

"Now what we going to do?"

"There's a department store in town. We could take a quick trip and just buy a volleyball." Julie suggested, eyeing Kevin and Gwen. Kevin had been grinning from ear to ear ever since Gwen had sent their visitor on his way and he had reached forward to grab her hand from his position slightly behind her. She had turned and given him a loving look in return.

"I suppose we don't have a choice. Do you guys think you could stay and guard the net?" Ben asked the couple. Kevin smirked.

"For some reason, I don't think that'll be a problem." He nudged Gwen teasingly. She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily. Ben and Julie took off with a knowing look. Kevin and Gwen finished the trek to the swaying net, hand in hand, the way they had begun their journey. Now that the excitement had settled, Gwen turned towards Kevin with a questioning look.

"Kevin, what did you want to tell me earlier?"

"Oh. That." He smiled widely as he pulled her down onto the warm sand. She allowed herself to be brought to her knees, giving a start as he covered her lips with his in a soft but meaningful kiss. Her eyes drifted shut slowly. She relished the feeling of his mouth against hers and the unique taste that was all his own. For a moment, she forgot all about finding out what Kevin had to say, until he pulled away, gently brushing the pads of his fingers over her face. When Gwen opened her eyes, he was smiling at her in a way that made her shiver.

"So...?" She breathily asked.

"I've been thinking about us. And after seeing what you did to that guy back there, I've decided."

"Decided what?"

"That I love you."

"So the fact that I made an obnoxious man's glasses explode on his face has made you decide you love me?" Gwen asked with a slight sneer. That didn't exactly sound as romantic as she had hoped. Kevin laughed and kissed her again.

"Let's just say it was one thing on a long list of things."

"How eloquent."

"So do you love me?" He pressured. There was a familiar glint in his eyes letting her know that he already knew the answer. Her declaration wouldn't be an affirmation, but rather a formality. Gwen hemmed and hawed, bringing her knees up to her chest, and idly picked sand grains from her skin.

"Well...I don't know. I mean, you did defend my honor and all today, but it was such a sucker punch-"

"Hey, did he or did he not touch you in an inappropriate manner?" Kevin inquired roughly. Gwen grumbled as she remembered the sharp sting on her rear end.

"Don't remind me."

"So don't I get something in return for being such a chivalrous, gentlemanly boyfriend?" He asked, leaning forward again. Gwen giggled as they rubbed noses.

"Alright, alright. Point taken. I love you."

"Excellent. Now shut up and kiss me...dear."

* * *

a/n: This is my attempt at something a bit less angsty and bit more humorous. I had a couple of different ideas floating around. This was one that I just happened to have mostly finished. I edited it a bit. Not sure if I'm completely happy with it, but I'm always open to updating older things that could be better, so I'm posting it pretty much for the sake of posting something. I am working on more, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and thanks to all those who have reviewed or added me and this collection to their alerts and favorites. I'm just glad that I can share one of my little obsessions with others. :)


	4. Trouble

From the minute he laid eyes upon her, he knew she was going to be trouble.

Beautiful girls always were. They'd bat their pretty, dusky eyelashes a couple times, pucker up their pretty lips, and look at you as if you were their absolute, only hope in the whole, wide world. And it would work. You'd fall for their traps hook, line, and sinker and in the end, after all the work getting them what they wanted in the first place, you'd get your backside handed to you on a silver platter without so much as a peck on the cheek for a reward.

Kevin Levin, cuffed and immobilized in the worst way possible, had avoided her gaze as much as possible while the Plumber and the dweeb tried to get him to spill his guts. He had worked too hard on his reputation to throw it all away for some babe in a sweater vest and tights. He built his street cred from the ground up, brick by painful brick. It took a lot of small, insignificant deals to finally get to where he was now, brokering high level tech to the big boys and taking his rather large cut graciously. It was what bought him his Camaro, the garage, and the apartment for his mother. It was what gave him a sense of purpose, the earning, even if he knew that it wasn't the best way to make a living.

But she was attractive. From the corner of his eye, he watched the way she shifted her weight from leg to leg, either from impatience or the modest heels she was wearing. Every time she moved, the plain skirt pulled across her hips in the most tantalizing way. He swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on the glowing restraints on his wrists. It was useless. Slowly, his eyes betrayed him by wandering up the sleek shine of her long legs. She was facing away from him, her equally long arms crossed over her narrow chest. There was a gigantic glob of yellow goo stuck in the back of her red hair. He couldn't help but let out the smallest snicker. Beautiful, but oblivious.

That assumption evaporated in a few minutes when she placed her hand upon his shoulder. It was a gentle but firm touch, something he wasn't familiar with. There was nothing oblivious in the way she regarded him and the way she spoke to him. His eyes had widened as he realized who she was and she backed away from him suddenly, seeing the knowledge dawning in his eyes, her advantage lost. He knew he should have let it go then and there. Not only was she trouble, she was a Tennyson and he had no business with the Tennysons.

So later, after they had been hanging out enough where they now looked at each other as friends, when she blurted out one night outside of their local haunt that he should ask her out on a date, he nearly inhaled his drink. Their little flirtatious remarks had been fine, safe. It helped to bleed off some of the stronger feelings he felt whenever she happened to appear. There had even been moves to extend those flirtatious comments to a more physical level, but this was something he hadn't ever expected. He was oil, slick and dark; she was water, pure and clear. They wouldn't mix well, if at all.

"I'm sure Mommy and Daddy would be pleased to find their honor student dragging home an ex-con." He had sneered at her once. She pouted but did not respond. He felt surprised when he felt a guilty pang in the bottom of his stomach. It happened every time she tried to broach the subject. She would try her best to get him to cave, using all of her charms and her wit, and Kevin, fearing he would falter, would put his his sharpest defenses. In the end, she would walk away hurt and fuming and he would be left feeling much the same.

"Guys do the asking. No wonder you don't go on many dates. You're pushy!"

"Don't you have better things to be doing other than bug me? Like a test or a forensics meet?"

"What's the matter, get a B on the report card? Leave me alone and go study or whatever you goody-two shoes people do."

Imagine his surprise one night when Gwen came to him alone, an unexpected visit that he didn't necessarily mind. However, the minute he heard her gentle cough somewhere above his car, he frowned. He scratched his nose as he dragged himself out from beneath his engine, glancing down at his watch. It was late. Immediately he frowned. Something must be wrong if she was coming to him now without her annoying cousin.

"What did Ben do this time?" He started to say, completely forgetting the thought as he rolled to his side and was greeted with a pair of bright red stiletto heels.

"This time, Ben stayed home." It was almost painful to look but he did it anyway because he was apparently a glutton for punishment. As soon as the words slid out of her mouth, dripping with a suggestive huskiness that sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, he peeled his eyes off of the impossible high shoes and traveled up those same long legs that had first captivated him that night so many months ago. They were bare, but still sleek with the slightest hint of a natural sheen. They were like porcelain stems, although not at all fragile-looking. The muscles of her calves bunched as she walked out into the open area of the garage. He could almost feel his mouth drop open at the pendulous movement of the short, frilled skirt she was wearing, the motion of her backside causing the fabric to sway in time with her footfalls.

"What the hell-" He whispered as she turned, flipping her long, luxurious red tresses behind her shoulder, and revealed the plunging neckline of her breezy halter top. She smiled enigmatically as he took in her appearance, perspiration beginning to form on his forehead. He could feel his hands begin to go cold and clammy against the cement floor as she clasped her hands in front of her. The situation was dangerous. He would have to proceed carefully if he was to make it out alive.

"My parents are gone for the night. Its their anniversary."

"And you snuck out?" Kevin swallowed as he stood. He backed up, pulling his creeper off to the side of the garage, between them. His heart raced as she took a couple of steps closer, batting her long, smoky lashes. She wanted something, that he was sure of, and she was breaking out the big guns. Literally. He caught a quick glance down the front of her shirt, then ripped his gaze upwards at the fluorescent lights on his ceiling.

"Maybe. Kevin, are you alright?" She was talking all innocent, but he knew better. He nodded his head and picked up the tools he had left on the floor. He needed to put some distance between his body and hers. Otherwise, there was no guarantee he'd be able to send her back home tonight.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You shouldn't be walking around here like that at night." He let out a bit of a yelp when he felt her hand slide over the top of his shoulders and she appeared at his side, grinning like a minx. Her fingers began to tap a slow, luxurious rhythm on the top of his arm.

"I didn't really walk. Its kind of hard in these shoes. Besides, I wanted to see you." Oh dear. With an index finger and a thumb, he removed her hand from its position and escaped her clutches, turning around to face her while putting his back to the workbench. There would be no more sneak attacks. Gwen raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest, and shooting him a frustrated frown. He smiled as best he could while trying to catch his breath.

"That's sweet. Really. But it's late and you should-"

"Go home and study, right?" He opened his mouth to retort but she closed the gap between them and placed her lips over his silently and firmly. For a minute he fought the urge to kiss her back, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think beyond the pleasurable feeling of finally doing what he had been dreaming of for so long. Then she pulled away and he had to keep himself for reaching for her again. She looked up into his face with those beautiful, hooded eyes and leaned up closer against him. "You think I'm such a good girl, don't you?"

"I know so." He bit back, even though it came out sounding like a puppy's growl. As much as he wanted to continue, this whole encounter could completely ruin everything. The barrier he mortared with his hurtful words and empty silences kept both of them from making the mistake of thinking they could make their own special niche inside each other's worlds. He didn't belong with such a beautiful and smart girl, and she most certainly didn't belong with a screw-up like him. She deserved the best in life and he couldn't give her anything. It wasn't fair, but it was what it was.

Even so, gazing at her now, flushed and filled with emotion, he couldn't help but entertain the idea.

"Levin," She hoisted one leg up over his hip and he nearly missed her whispered words when he come close to swallowing his tongue, "You don't know anything." It was enough to break any man, and when he slammed his hands down on her hips and lifted her into his lap, he credited himself for lasting so long. They moved against each other fluidly and comfortably, as if they had been having these little impromptu sessions for awhile. His head went blank as he completely focused his attention on her. Her scent, her flavor, the dips and falls of her body. It was driving him to a new pitch when suddenly she was gone. He opened his eyes reluctantly, nearly falling off the workbench as he saw her tempting backside heading for the door.

"Wait. Hey! Where are you going?"

"Home." She answered simply. "I have a 10 page essay on the Barrier Reef due on Monday." Her words were serious, but he growled as he saw her eyes twinkling with ill-concealed mirth. Before she reached the street, he ran out to stop her. Her efforts to contain her wide smile only served to irritate him further as he splayed his arms out in front of her.

"You can't be serious! You come all the way out here, wearing _that_ outfit and _those_ shoes! Then, you practically jump me in my own garage, only to run out because you have to write a couple of pages about some coral ridge?" She pretended to consider his words carefully.

"Well, I can't stay out all night making out in some garage with a boy that isn't my boyfriend." She gave him a quick peck on the chin, with a small poke on his bewildered nose. "Get some rest. You never know when Ben will call."

He frowned as he watched her go, but couldn't help the smile that came to him as he closed the garage door and headed into bed. Oh, he had been more than right in his assumption that she would be trouble. But, he thought as he laid his head down on his pillow, brushing his rough fingers absently over his mouth, maybe that wasn't going to be such a bad thing.


	5. Always

"_You shouldn't have come here! Don't you realize I've been trying to stay away from you?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I knew what I'd do to you if I had the chance."_

_

* * *

_

They say it all the time. You always hurt the ones you love. But they're not talking about this.

This is something completely different, something horrible.

It begins innocently enough with a touch. Such a simple interaction becomes a complex

series of thoughts and sensations, each carrying its own personal message.

He remembers when those messages were love notes, slips of perfumed paper

set adrift inside smokey glass bottles, and they floated back and forth between them

on the waves of their tumultuous emotions. They wanted each other like

a man wants water in a desert and they told each other so with pads of fingertips,

tensing ligaments, biting nails. Because in the end, it became about

the urgency in which the waters carried their cargo, a desperation

made whole when partnered with love.

This touch is not like the others because there is no love inside of it.

His monstrous hands do not feel the way his human ones did and

he doesn't understand her pleas because he isn't human.

But he understands the intoxicating feeling that rushes out

of her and into him when he grasps her body inside of his fists.

He's felt this feeling before, but never like this.

It's almost overpowering. It's warm, vibrant, like a blazing fire

inside of a hearth, like dripping honey.

Her scream interrupts his reverie and though he ignores it coldly,

there is the part of him that remembers all that once was

and it convulses in something akin to agony. She continues to cry out.

It is bloodcurdling and deathly and he both relishes it and hates it. He wants to hear

more. He wants it to end. He wants every last piece of her in the worst way,

even though he knows he's killing her. She shouldn't have come.

She should have relinquished the hold she had over him.

She brought this upon herself.

Like a moth to the flame, he draws upon her in a trance and vows never to let go.

Nobody else can take this because it belongs to him, it always has.

In his twisted frame of mind, the monster and the man come to a

sickening compromise. They both want her. They both need her

One of them loves her, the other hates her. He lets her escape, for now, but vows

to never let her get very far. Wherever she goes, he will follow.

Whatever she does, he will be there behind her.

She escapes, but not for long.

He closes his alien eyes and lets her essence fill him. He sees

her eyes, her lips, her hair. He feels her acutely, all the swirling

turns and twists of her mind, and the memories such energy carries.

Loss and pain float above the rest and somewhere in the deep, dark corners

of his heart and mind, the places where the man hides and rests, he feels it enough

to make him stop and pause and wonder how things suddenly went so wrong.

Because you always hurt the ones you love.

Though some hurt more than others.

* * *

So yes, I've been gone for awhile. I apologize for that, but I was really waiting to see how this season played out (as I'm sure the rest of you were.) For those waiting for a cyclical update, its coming! I've just been really busy lately with school and work, so writing has been coming along quite slow. Have patience with me and you will be rewarded! In the meantime, this was just a little thing I cooked up. Enjoy. - sd


	6. Perspective

Earlier that morning, while she and Emilyare hanging out at her locker eating quick breakfasts of yogurt and granola, trading complaints over the algebra homework assigned to them the night before, Adam McCallum stops and says good morning. They both answer but they both know he's really saying good morning to Gwen, because he and Gwen are the newest and youngest members of the French club at school, and Adam is obviously crazy for her. He stops by them every morning and chats with them until the warning bell rings. Then, he escorts them both to their first period Introductory Biology class and leaves them with a radiant smile.

Emily asks Gwen all the time whether or not she likes Adam and Gwen just smiles and shrugs. He is cute and he is smart. What more would a girl her age want in a boy? As the teacher drones on about the cellular structure of a tree leaf, she thinks about his long, smiling face, and his clear, hazel eyes, and how his curly, brown hair doesn't always cooperate with him. She absentmindedly draws out his initials in the margin of her notes, scribbling them out when she notices Emily glancing over beside her. It's not that she's embarrassed to admit she likes Adam. She just doesn't want anyone to know before he does. Maybe she doesn't want him to know at all. She chews on the tip of her pen as she thinks about the idea of being his girlfriend, slightly confused when the idea doesn't appeal to her as much as she thinks it should.

They don't see each other again until lunch when he joins them briefly at their table. He's done eating and the other boys he sat with have gone to the gym for a bit of basketball. Emily offers him what remains of her salad. After Adam politely refuses, she excuses herself, winking at Gwen as she pushes the wheels of chair and disappears into the crowded cafeteria. Gwen, feeling nervous, pulls her hair behind an ear and focuses on what remains of her lunch. Adam talks about French. When he begins to speak it, she looks up across the table at him. He is trying to impress her, she can tell, but his annunciation is slightly off and all she can think about is what he's doing wrong.

When the bell rings, he walks with her to dispose of her tray. They separate in the hallway.. Only one more period until French class, where they sit directly next to each other in the line of desks. Gwen meets Emily at her locker and she coyly asks how lunch went. Gwen rolls her eyes and replies that it was fine. They say goodbye, Emily heading to her study period, and Gwen going to Music. Today, they're learning to sight-read. She finds it hard to concentrate and stumbles over a few notes when the teacher calls on her. Some of the older girls, juniors and seniors, laugh at her under their breath, and she narrows her eyes at them as she moves back to her seat. One of them kicks at the back of her chair, hard enough to let her know they're paying attention, and when she turns around, the girl feigns innocence.

It seems like forever but suddenly she's in French class and she and Adam are comparing answers on the homework and his hand softly brushes against hers when he reaches for her pen. She resists the urge to jump away. Their eyes meet across the distance between their desks and she knows he's noticed the fact that she didn't move away from his touch. With a slight quaver to his voice, he asks her if she'd like him to walk her to karate after school. She nods, for lack of a better response. He smiles at her wordless reply, then turns back into his seat as Mademoiselle Bessette strides in, commanding immediate attention.

Gwen explains to Emily after school that she's walking with Adam to class, containing her excitement, but just barely. The two girls share a small squeal in the hallway. Emily wishes her good luck and asks her to give her a call once she get home, to fill her in with the details. Gwen promises, unaware that the night ahead of her will change everything, and not in the manner she thinks.

Adam is waiting for her outside the school, seated on the edge of the cement staircase leading out to the front lawn. She stops on the stoop, adjusting the strap of her backpack, when he turns and sees her. He leaps to his feet, bounds up the steps, and offers to carry her books for her. With a shy duck of her head, she declines his offer, and they set off down the street. The karate class is held at the local recreational center, just a few blocks from the school, and Adam knows the way because he used to take fencing lessons there, before he joined French club. They chat easily on the way, the subjects ranging from schoolwork to books to television shows. When they arrive at entrance of the center, he reluctantly shows her through the door, and says goodbye. She stops, half-expecting him to give her a kiss, and wonders where the thought came from when he bends over and places a quick, chaste peck on her cheek. Wide-eyed and speechless, she watches his back as he walks out.

As she dresses in the locker room, she continuously wonders about Adam and what the kiss could mean. Are they going out? Was she even allowed to date? Her face sours when she thinks about asking her parents and the questions that would surely follow her inquiry. Then, her blood runs cold as her mind turns to more serious matters. How would she greet him in the morning? Would he be expecting her to kiss him next time? What if she didn't? Would he be angry? Disappointed?

By the time she reaches the mat, she is thankful for the distraction it would offer. A spar is hardly the place to think about boys or dating and she wouldn't let Tim Harvey get the best of her this time. The blonde boy quirks an eyebrow at her as the master reads off the list of match-ups for the evening. He and Gwen would be the last to meet. Until then, they go to opposite ends of the gymnasium to warm up. Gwen stretches carefully, making sure to engage each and every muscle in her body. She bends and places her palms flat on the floor, feeling her calves burn in protest. Then, she rolls her back upwards towards the ceiling, raising her arms as high as they can go, then repeating the process once more. She goes through a couple more routines, lunges and a few jumping jacks, before her name rings out in the metal rafters.

She meets Tim Harvey in the middle of the mat. They bow and he smirks at her. Both remember how their last spar went – with Gwen flat on her back. She narrows her eyes in response as the master signals and she sees the faintest movement at his left side. She deftly moves to the right, pivoting quickly on her heel and catching his fist as it flies over her shoulder. With a quick heaving motion, Tim Harvey sails over her head and lands with a hard thud on the mat. She flips over on top of him, letting him know there is no easy way to get out of his current predicament. The master blows the whistle and the spar is over. Gwen helps her opponent to his feet and he claps her on the arm good-naturedly. Somewhere above them, applause erupts in the bleachers, and Gwen turns to find her cousin smiling down at her.

Its been awhile since she's seen him and isn't surprised to hear that he needs her advice. Ben flashes her something green and metallic beneath his sleeve. The Omnitrix is once again on his wrist. She sighs and tells him to wait for her until she's changed. As she showers, her mind once again turns back to Adam. Should she call him tonight? Maybe it was best to discuss things with Emily before doing anything. Emily may know what to do. She nods in agreement with herself. Take care of Ben first, then think about Adam.

But, much like her spar, fighting aliens alongside an intergalactic law enforcement officer and a super-powered 15 year old is no place to think about boys. She's much too busy throwing small discs of mana at men in armor with dangerous laser guns and ugly aliens with tentacles instead of mouths. They spit disgusting globs of puke-green goo from between them, goo that sticks and immobilizes. She falls victim to this goo, feeling it pull in her hair, and groans in disgust. Finally, Ben gets her and the Plumber out of their vile prisons, and she finds herself staring down into the face of someone she hasn't seen in years.

Kevin 11 has grown considerably. He is almost unrecognizable, save for the hook nose and the shocking length of black hair. His shoulders are wide, his waist is trim, and it looks as if he could easily bench press half his weight. As Ben and the Plumber talk about their next move, Gwen studies Kevin's prone form and finds herself unable to look away from his peaceful face. His eyelids flutter. She takes a step back, but continues to watch as they open, revealing dark, dangerous eyes that do not immediately see her. He sits up. She tries to not be interested as he and her cousin exchange harsh words. They didn't part on good terms, she knows, but when it looks as if words have failed, she reaches down and touches his shoulder in hopes that it may change his mind.

The fabric of his shirt beneath her hand is warm and when he turns to look at her and their eyes meet, it is unlike anything she has ever felt before. Later that night, she will try to explain to Emily what happened, to no avail. He looks at her like he's never seen another girl. She feels his gaze like a spark, nothing life-threatening, but akin to grabbing an electric fence. It confuses her. It also confuses him. She sees the slight hesitation in his demeanor, a hesitation before ripping his attention back to the matter at hand. At every lull, she catches him looking at her, and not just her face. An indignant annoyance rises in her when she turns back to him, only to see his stare fixated on her backside. She is willing to let it slide, but the next time she sneaks a glance at him, it is obvious he is staring at the dip in her collared shirt.

As the night wears on, she begins to rethink her earlier feelings. Kevin is, for lack of a better word, a brute. He is brash. He has a big mouth. He loves his car above all else. He runs into situations he isn't prepared for without thinking. He negotiates with his fists. With each passing minute, Gwen becomes more and more irritated by his presence. Kevin is quickly becoming the antithesis of everything she likes in a boy and she finds it frustrating beyond belief. Not only does she have to deal with Ben's impulsive behavior, there is now an explosive loose cannon released into the mix. When she isn't dodging attacks, she watches Kevin as he works. There are times she momentarily forgets his dog-like behavior and can simply appreciate his strength. He sends aliens flying with a single punch, then continues on as if he hadn't hit anything at all. Of course, when the battle has ended, and he has time to catch his breath, he opens his mouth and all the appreciation she had felt disappears.

And yet, she sees a glimmer of hope in him, a recurring notion that solidifies into something solid when a large, white alien flings her into a wall. Her back hits the metal and she flashes back to her spar with Tim Harvey when he knocked her feet out from under her and she hit the mat. This wasn't the mat at all. This hurt. She slides down to her knees, trying to catch her breath, when she sees Kevin running towards her. She stands quickly, expecting him to berate her, when he looks down into her pained face and asks if the alien hurt her. Gwen quickly replies that it hadn't, though it did, and finds herself in dumb shock when Kevin turns and growls a warning at their giant foe. A few moments later, Ben will command that he take her to safety, and he scoops her up in his strong arms as if she weighs nothing. He doesn't release her until they are well outside into the night air, and even then, as he sets her down, his arms linger a moment.

It continues again when they stand before Ben inside a giant crater and Ben reaches out a hand. He suggests the start of a team, a collaborative effort to stop an alien invasion and find their grandfather. Gwen reaches out her hand, throwing a glance in Kevin's direction. She is strangely hopeful, though when he cracks a crooked smile and sets his large hand over hers, she finds her stomach jumping in shock. Later that night, when she goes to fall asleep, she thinks that maybe it wasn't all shock. She can't place the emotion. Maybe she doesn't want to give a name to it because she knows it isn't at all logical for a girl in her position to like a boy like that. Her eyes snap open in the darkness of her bedroom as she remembers Adam's kiss. The storm of emotions it had caused in her felt different now, almost more of a burden than an excitement. For a minute, she just wants to pretend that nothing has changed.

That minute lasts until the afternoon, when she meets Emily by her locker after the final bell. Her friend smiles and asks if she is going on another adventure tonight with Ben and Kevin. Gwen opens her mouth, a plethora of insults about the latter mentioned boy coming to mind, when she spots Adam moving through the crowd. Emily sees him too. She grabs the handles on her wheels and begins to push herself away when Gwen stops her. With a pleading look in her eyes, she tells Emily she doesn't have to go anywhere. Adam greets them in his usual way, except this time he asks Gwen to take a walk with him. She is taken aback but agrees. Emily says goodbye and gives Gwen a reassuring wave. Gwen isn't reassured.

Adam pulls her into a small alcove by the water fountain. He begins with a cliched 'About last night...' and she opens her mouth to explain to him that it's alright if he didn't mean anything by his goodbye kiss, when her phone rings in the inside pocket of her purse. She frowns and digs around for it. The screen flashes 'Ben'. She apologizes, but the call is important, and Adam looks somewhat crestfallen as she turns away and answers. Ben tells her that he's sent Kevin to pick her up from school while he starts cleaning out the Rustbucket, as if there's nothing wrong with sending him. Gwen erupts into furious whispers when she catches the green gleam of a Camaro out in the parking lot and hears the girls walking by start to gush about the handsome driver. Adam's attention is also drawn to the window and he watches in awe as Kevin steps out and up from the car.

Gwen grabs her backpack and apologizes once again to Adam. He leans in towards her but she's already gone, racing towards the doorway. She nearly skids out onto the stoop and skips every other step on the way down. In a matter of moments, she is standing in front of him, panting slightly. He looks down at her somewhat puzzled, then smiles what she is quickly beginning to understand is a signature smile, and opens the door for her. She doesn't get in right away. Instead, Gwen simply looks up into his face, into his eyes, and the glimmer of hope becomes a small flame. She doesn't see Adam watching from the stairs. Nor does she see him walk away. Gwen gets into Kevin's car and fastens her seatbelt as he shuts the door behind her. He gets into the driver's seat easily and starts the car with a fluid flick of his wrist.

Weeks later, she will stare him down and demand to know why he hasn't asked her out yet. It is a bold move, but she is sick of waiting. The exchanges between them are different than between her and Adam. Adam at least had some courage. Kevin skulks around the issue as if it was something sharp, or hot, something that could cause him harm. She doesn't understand why he's so hardheaded. She doesn't understand why she likes him so much.

In the months and years that follow, she still doesn't understand. After all the kisses, the dates, the dances, the hugs, the rescues, the trials, the tribulations, after all these things and more, she doesn't understand but she accepts it nonetheless.

* * *

a/n: Just a little something short and sweet inspired by CN's decision to replay all the old episodes of AF and UA at 6:30 in the morning. I watch it before getting ready for school. Gets me all nostalgic.


	7. Old Flame

_a/n: this is oooooold. like a year or so old, if not more, but i've been frustratingly stuck in a creative rut. my plan is to go back through all old, unfinished writing and edit and salvage before writing something new (i.e.: updates to cyclical). so enjoy!_

* * *

She sighed deeply into the warm steam of her mug, enjoying the way the sweet, heady scent of the coffee blew back into her nostrils. The warmth radiated into her cold palms, chilled from a long morning jog, and filled the tips of her fingers with blood until they were a purple-crimson color. It hurt at first, an unpleasant burn, but she held on regardless until finally her digits were a normal temperature once more. Her body had already thawed out, snuggled deep into a comfy upholstered lounge chair, her legs plopped up on a matching, pillowed ottoman. The cushions were soft and she had sunk down into them easily enough after the barista at the cafe counter had completed her modest order of a tall black coffee and a blueberry crumble muffin.

Her muscles ached and she groaned inwardly as she cracked her knee shifting leg positions. It had been awhile since she had gone on a run. There just hadn't been time, what with exams and extraterrestrial beings and boyfriends. It evened out in the sense that running after her cousin and Kevin was a workout in and of itself. She'd actually gained more muscle through her adventures than she had when she actually had a gym membership. It was a bonus that the fights were free.

But today was too good of an opportunity to pass up. After a leisurely Friday night spent watching movies with Kevin (and Ben, unfortunately), it was unanimously agreed upon that they would all take the next morning off and catch up in the afternoon. Kevin had a couple of cars that needed seeing to that he had been ignoring thanks to their Plumber duties. Ben just wanted to watch cartoons for once. And Gwen, after a check on the weather, had decided to jog.

She smiled remembering the way the boys had reacted to her statement. Flabbergasted was putting it lightly. They both thought she was daft for not staying in and taking a break and they didn't believe her when she tried to convince them that it was actually relaxing for her. Especially since her runs led her to one of the best places for her to unwind: the small cafe near the mall that she was currently seated inside.

It was a complete fluke that Gwen had found it in the first place. When she had first walked in years ago, her mother in tow, the two of them hungry and tired from a hard day of last minute Christmas shipping, they both had sat and stared at the display around the fireplace in awe. The brick and the wall was littered with old polaroid photographs taken by past and present patrons. It had begun as a place for customers to proclaim their loyalty, but most of the photographs were of couples, accompanied with little messages and declarations of love. Some of them even had multiples of the same couple, celebrating marriages, anniversaries, births, and other milestones. Her mother, to her knowledge, had never come back. But Gwen had made plenty of trips and not always alone.

"Would you like some more coffee?" The barista, a tired looking older woman with a short grey bob and shining blue eyes, peered around the high back of the lounge chair, a coffee pot held in one hand. Gwen started a bit and looked down into her half-empty mug.

"Sure. Thanks."

"Not a problem." The barista filled up her mug, then straightened, her eyes catching the photographs. Gwen sat and stared with her. Then, the barista turned and looked at her, looked back at the wall, and smiled. "You're on this wall a couple of times, aren't you?" Gwen winced a bit, taking a larger than necessary sip of her coffee to hide it. She had been hoping the woman wouldn't notice. Of course, all of the photographs featuring herself had to be at eye level or lower.

"Yeah. When I was younger." She admitted quietly.

"Younger? You don't look much older than you do in this one." The older woman walked up and placed her finger on a picture of Gwen and a handsome sandy-haired boy in a letterman's jacket. They were sitting at one of the tables, leaning over towards each other, wide grins plastered across both of their faces. There wasn't much difference between that Gwen and this one, except that the Gwen in the picture hadn't started to fight aliens yet. Or save the world. Or date the most frustratingly amazing boy in the world. She smiled nostalgically at the other occupant in the picture, but knew what the Gwen with him didn't.

"No, but I feel older." She said simply. The barista sat down on a matching lounge chair.

"I take it he didn't last."

"No. None of them did."

"All five, huh?" The woman set the coffee pot down on the ottoman, leaning forward onto her thin knees. Gwen watched as she twined her long, ropy fingers around each other, seeing how the veins moved and spasmed beneath her aging skin. She blushed at the sarcastic tone in the woman's voice but leveled a confident gaze in her direction.

"Sometimes you have to read a lot of books before you find the right one."

"That's an academic way of looking at things." The woman said good-naturedly. Gwen hadn't realized her body had stiffened until it relaxed. She shook her head a bit and took a smaller sip of her coffee. The warm liquid settled her stomach a bit as her eyes traveled over each and every polaroid featuring herself. All of the boys pictured with her, ranging from the blonde star athlete to a bespectacled thin boy in a sweater vest, seemed like they made her happy. At the time, she supposed they did. Maybe it was due to their youth that the relationships never made it past the six month mark. Maybe it was due to the fact that somewhere, in the back of her head, she knew that they weren't the perfect fit.

As if on cue, the chime arranged above the door rung and the barista grabbed the coffee pot and made her way back to the counter, mumbling a good morning to her second patron of the day. Gwen went back to her coffee, halfheartedly blowing away the steam, her mind obviously elsewhere. She ignored the slight movement to her right, assuming the person had decided to claim one of the remaining lounge chairs for themselves. Her gaze remained fixed on the wall until the person cleared their throat. She turned to see what they wanted, only to give out a bit of a gasp when she realized that the other person to join her in the cafe was Kevin.

"How did you know where I was?" She blurted out. Kevin, dressed in his normal attire and a beat up leather jacket, leaned back into the chair and propped up his boots on the ottoman. Wordlessly, he pulled his Plumber's badge from the inside pocket of his jacket and showed her the radar which mapped her location. She instinctively felt for the badge she had brought along in her coat pocket. "I thought you had cars to fix."

"Got them done early. Figured I'd see how your run went." He raised an eyebrow as he took in her coffee mug and the crumbled remains of the muffin on the stand beside her. She smiled sheepishly and took a swig. In her distracted state, she dribbled a little, a drop or two sliding down her chin. Kevin reached forward to grab a napkin and handed it to her with an exaggerated flourish.

"It went great. Isn't that obvious?" He laughed slightly at her joke, then turned his eyes to the wall. She felt her stomach drop a little as he scanned over the polaroids.

"So I guess you don't come to this place for the coffee." He teased. "Who knew you were so mushy?" Gwen pouted slightly, opening her mouth to respond in kind, when suddenly his eyes narrowed. Slowly, he stood and walked over to the wall, coming face to face with a picture of Gwen and another boy. She swallowed her coffee and watched as he went to each photograph until finally he had hit the fifth and final, then turned to her with an inquiring gaze.

They had never talked about what happened to them over the years since they had seen each other as kids. Gwen knew it was a sore subject for Kevin. He still hadn't explained to her his escape from the Null Void and she could only assume it wasn't a pretty affair. Nor was what followed, the actions he had to take which led him to a life as an illegal tech broker. Maybe because she never asked or pushed him to talk about what he didn't want, he, in turn, never asked about her adventures in normalcy. So while it was perfectly acceptable to have a discussion about past loves with a new flame, they had never gotten around to it, and thusly, Gwen wasn't sure how he would handle the fact that he hadn't been the only boy to catch her attention.

"I used to come here a lot." She said weakly. Kevin chuckled a bit, his eyes on the ground between them. He jammed his hands in his pockets, a suddenly guarded gesture, and angled the front of his body slightly away from her.

"Yeah. I guess I got that. Are those...your ex-boyfriends?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah."

"Is that why you came here? To reminisce?" There was a hurtful tone to his voice, an edge that she had heard before. Kevin was his own worst critic and undoubtedly, finding her lounging lazily in front of her little black book was probably enough to make him wonder if she was remembering the good old days a little too fondly. She sighed and set her coffee down, standing up and walking to the first photo of her with the blonde. Kevin, standing in the way, moved silently to sit on the ottoman.

"Sort of. Maybe. Not intentionally."

"Oh." He watched her as she plucked the photo of her with the blonde from its place.

"This is Andy. I dated him for a couple of months when I was a freshman. He was nice. A junior. A football player. Kind of unfortunate actually. I broke up with him after he got mad at me for missing a game for the debate team." She admitted bluntly. Kevin swiveled on the ottoman to watch her. He frowned when she handed it to him. He took a brief look and then let it flop onto the stand behind them.

"Sounds like a winner."

"Not exactly. Then, there was Peter." Gwen moved to the second. She was standing by the counter, dressed in a semi-formal gown, and there was a plain looking boy, with ears slightly too large for his narrow head, in a blazer and collared shirt next to her. They were both smiling, a bit more subdued than the last picture, but obviously holding hands. "Peter was in the physics club with me. We were the youngest members. He took me to my first school dance, but we never really went beyond that." Again, she removed the polaroid and gave it to Kevin. He obviously didn't view Peter as a threat because he laughed and held it up for her to inspect once more.

"This guy's even better. You went from jock to nerd in a span of a couple of months!" Gwen frowned at his remarks, but continued nevertheless.

"Don't be mean. Peter was a gentleman. He was just too shy. Bradley was next. He joined my karate class early in the summer. We hung out afterwards for a month or so. He was my first kiss." At this, Kevin bridled a bit in his jacket. He tossed the picture behind his shoulder without even looking at it.

"Why are you telling me this stuff?" He asked. It was obvious that he was annoyed. His whole demeanor screamed it. From the counter, the old barista pretended not to watch the debacle, but every once in awhile, she saw her eyeing them carefully. Gwen didn't blame her for being curious. She was probably wondering the same thing. Well, they may not have known it, but she did have a point to get across. Ignoring Kevin's question, she went to the fourth picture.

"Todd worked at my father's office as a filing clerk. We got along really well and went out on a few dates, but he balked when my dad found out. He needed the job to save up for college. Or was it a car? Either way, the money was more important." There was a bit of bitterness in her tone. Kevin picked up on it immediately.

"Or was your dad's opinion more important?"

"It didn't help. Daddy wasn't pleased when he found out. I'm sure that makes you happy." She added, observing his one sided smirk. Kevin shrugged, exuding his famed roguish charm, and readjusted his position on the ottoman. His long legs unfurled towards her as he stretched backwards.

"I would never want to get on your dad's bad side."

"Smart."

"So what about boyfriend number five?" He pressed, motioning to the last picture left on the wall. Gwen sighed and took that one down carefully.

"Boyfriend number five came along the beginning of my sophomore year. A couple of months before we met again, actually. His name was Daniel and I really liked him." They remained in silence for a couple of moments after her personal revelation. Kevin was staring into the small flame behind her. He chewed on the inside of his cheek distractedly as he processed her words. Gwen stared down at the photograph. Daniel was a normal looking boy, tall with short, cropped hair. His eyes were a light brown color, made brighter by the flash of the camera. They were perched on the railing outside the cafe, embracing each other tightly, and locked forever in a showy kiss. She bit her lip and handed it to Kevin without another glance. He didn't take it.

"Did he dump you too?" He asked callously. Gwen threw the photo at his feet and turned towards the fire. Her jogging pants were beginning to feel too warm against her legs in combination with the heat from the flames. She stared downwards at the crackling logs, clenching her fists and trying to regain her composure.

"No. I broke up with him."

"Why? It looks like you two were having a good time." He snapped, his bark much worse than his bite.

"I found out he was cheating in his classes."

"So you dumped him for that? That's a little severe." Kevin's voice became a bit more gentle, but he still scowled every time his eyes found the photo at his feet. Gwen laughed humorlessly.

"He was using me to cheat. I didn't know until they pulled me into the office, threatening to expel us both." Without another word, she turned and grabbed the photos Kevin had discarded behind him. Crouching, she grasped the last one. She held them up for Kevin to see. "Five guys in a year and a half. Some people might think I'm a bit of a harlot."

"People don't call girls that anymore. They call them-"

"I know, I know. Anyways, that's not my point."

"So what's your point?" Kevin stood up to face her. "I thought I'd come find you and we could hang out and have a good morning to ourselves for a change. Instead, I get here and you're mooning over all your old boyfriends."

"I wasn't mooning over them. These people don't mean anything to me anymore, but they were part of my life for a period of time. " She caught his eye to make sure he was watching. When Gwen was sure she had his attention, she flicked her wrist and sent the photographs into the fire. Kevin wasn't impressed but he calmed slightly as she reached forward to squeeze his arm. Behind them, the pictures melted and snapped in the heat, disappearing in a blink of an eye."How long have we been together?"

"Is this a trick question?" She gave a barking laugh at his response.

"No. It's not."

"A year and a couple of months." Kevin said without hesitation.

"And how long was I with one of those guys? Just one?" He didn't answer but she could see his eyes soften. It was easy to tell when she had gotten him to see things her way, or had at least to begun to.

"How come you never brought me here?" He asked softly. "Wasn't I worthy of a polaroid?" He yanked his chin in the direction of where the photos had been. Gwen smiled gently and pulled him closer. Her hands found their way into his larger ones.

"Well, we never really had the opportunity. And we've never talked about what happened to us after you got sent to the Null Void. Besides, I had the hardest time getting you to ask me on a date." Gwen laughed a bit and her laughter brought out a bit of a chuckle from Kevin, though he flushed at the comment. "This place used to be special to me because of all the people I'd brought here. In a way it still is. It's not the place that makes things special. Its the person." She reached up and placed a peck on his forehead.

"I guess that explains why you don't mind the garage." Kevin intoned. There was a twinkle in his eye as he leaned forward and captured her in a light kiss. Gwen smiled as his lips moved against hers, enjoying the moment more than she enjoyed her forgotten mug of coffee, when there was a clanking of glasses from the counter. They broke apart just as the barista came up from beneath the register, an old polaroid camera in her hands.

"Would you kids like me to take your picture?" She asked. Gwen looked to Kevin questioningly. She would let him make the choice whether or not they would start a new line of photographs. Kevin simply stared at the barista for a moment and then shook his head.

"No thanks. I don't think we need it. Do you?" He asked Gwen. She was a bit surprised at his decision, but then she smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically.

"No. I don't think we do."

"Good. Want me to drive you home?" He stood up and dangled his car keys in front of her face.

"Not the garage?"

"We can go there after. You'll want to change. Besides, the more time we have in the car, the more time I have to tell you all about my ex-girlfriends." Gwen raised an eyebrow as she returned the mug to the woman behind the counter. She smiled and thanked her, giving her a bit of a knowing wink.

"He sounds like the right book." She offered. Gwen involuntarily cracked a wide smile.

"Yeah. The pages are folded in spots, and there are a couple of grammatical errors, but he's a limited edition."

"Are you coming or what? My list of conquests is longer than yours, I'll need more than ten minutes."


	8. Date Night

'Finally...Friday!' The redheaded blur darting from the school thought as she skipped a few steps and pounced onto the sidewalk. She could see the green gleam of her boyfriend's car just down the street and easily loped across the lawn towards it, backpack bouncing on her shoulders. It didn't take her long to reach it. She pulled the door open and launched herself into the seat beside him.

"Whoa! Hey, where's the fire?" Kevin asked as she excitedly leaned over and planted a kiss on his rugged jaw.

"Let's get out of here! I have to go home and get ready!" Gwen commanded gleefully. He chuckled as he started the engine up, pulling away from the curb as she buckled up. The school liaison officer watched the two casually drive off with an appraising look. Kevin waved a little. The second they were out of sight, he gunned the engine.

"Is this fast enough, princess?"

"Oh shut up." She goodnaturedly told him off. "It's our first date night in forever and I'm excited." Her backpack ended up in the backseat when she rolled the window down and let the breeze roll over her face. Kevin would drop her off and head to the garage for a few hours, leaving her plenty of time to get her homework done and shower before they went out. Raising an eyebrow, she turned back to the interior of the car and gave her boyfriend a sly glance. Kevin caught it.

"What's that look for?"

"Where are you taking me tonight?" He feigned surprise.

"Whaddya mean? I thought you were taking me out tonight?" She smacked him on the arm.

"Quit joking. How about that little cafe downtown?" She suggested. Kevin waffled at the idea.

"Nah. Someplace bigger. Can't it be a surprise?" Gwen pursed her lips. Kevin's surprises were, on occasion, pretty good. The other times were more about his lack of preparation than the result of pre-planning. She studied him for a few moments longer trying to discern which other two situations they were currently dealing with.

"I suppose."

"Good. 'Cause you don't have much of a choice."

* * *

The Tennyson home was momentarily quiet. Natalie and Frank sat undisturbed in their front room, curled together on the couch, each with their noses in a book. Every so often, Natalie reached over for her glass of wine, and Frank would automatically comply. They continued this way for a few minutes before Frank looked up from his page.

"What time is it?"

"I'm not sure. Probably around 7, maybe 7:30." Natalie replied distractedly. "Why?"

"I thought Gwen was going out on a date tonight." At the word 'date', Natalie bristled.

"Right. Have we agreed on her curfew?"

"I'd say midnight is reasonable enough. She's sixteen." He waited for his wife to argue. When she didn't, he turned his head towards the kitchen entry way, where Gwen had been patiently waiting. His daughter looked beautiful in her plain, blue cotton sundress and crocheted cardigan. She smiled at him and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. He nodded just as the growl of the muscle car punctured the walls.

"Alright guys, I'm leaving!" Gwen raced around the steps, grabbing her purse from the banister as she made a dash for the door. Natalie jumped up from the couch after her.

"We expect you home by midnight, Gwenny. No later. Do you understand? And no excuses either!"

"Of course, Mom!" She changed her trajectory to give her mother a hug and kiss. "I have my phone if you need anything." And with that, she was gone. Natalie jogged over to the porch window and peered through the curtains to watch Gwen head out to Kevin's car. Frank joined her, but not to watch. He gently pulled his wife back to the couch.

"Let her go, Natalie. She's going to be just fine."

* * *

Gwen bounded into the driveway, careful to avoid the cracks in the driveway. She loved her heels, a comfortable pair of modest black pumps, but she wasn't used to walking in them. Her face paled at the thought of wiping out in Kevin's headlights. The fear was short lived. It wasn't a long walk to the passenger door.

"Hi!" She chirped as she got in, careful to fold the skirt of her dress beneath her as she folded into the seat.

"Hey!" He answered, leaning over for the usual 'hello' kiss. She obliged, nonchalantly reaching around for her seat belt. It took her awhile to finally grab it.

"So where are you taking me?" She asked again.

"Um...about that..."

* * *

Tonight, the menu consisted of the usual courses: A little bit of alien technology, conveniently crashed to Earth a few miles outside of their hometown, mixed with a generous helping of bumbling, over-enthusiastic Forever Knights racing them to the impact point. Gwen looked forlornly out of the window of Kevin's car at the dust clouds trailing their caravan of utility trucks. They had yet to realize they were competing for their bounty, a fact that had both of her male companions extremely excited. She, on the other hand, was still fuming over having yet another date night ruined.

"This cloaking device is awesome, Kevin! How'd you get your hands on it?" Ben squeaked from the backseat. Kevin shrugged, tugging slightly on his black, collared shirt with the usual smugness.

"What can I say? I've got a good eye and a lucky hand."

"Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it." Gwen muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Ben asked behind her. She chose to ignore her cousin, fighting the many petty insults that threatened to spit themselves from her mouth. Instead, she focused on the task at hand. It was still early enough for her night to be salvaged, but they would have to be efficient. Everything would have to go smoothly. With a derisive snort, she tangled her fingers in the modest hem of her dress. When did things ever go smoothly for them? Suddenly, Kevin's hand appeared over her worrisome ones.

"I'm sorry we're not going to make it to dinner. But we'll get to the movie. I promise, okay?" He smiled at her earnestly and she found a small amount of comfort in the gesture.

"Is this about your date?" Ben piped up.

"Yes, Ben, it is." She finally snapped. "You know, those things where a guy and a girl who really like each other spend an enjoyable evening in each other's company, without aliens or cousins or fights? Unlike you, there are only certain nights of the week that Kevin and I get the opportunity to have dates, one of those nights being tonight. Yet, here we are, chasing Forever Knights across a desert after something that is probably no bigger than my pinky finger. So yes. This is about our date." She finished out of breath, turning her scowl back on the said knights still keeping an even pace over the sand. The entire car filled with an uneasy silence as Ben slowly eased himself back in his seat and Kevin became very interested in the steering wheel. After a few moments, her cousin cleared his throat carefully.

"Uh...Sorry?" He offered. Gwen sighed, her anger deflating. She craned her neck around the passenger seat's head rest to get a glimpse of him.

"It's not your fault. It isn't anybody's fault. I'm the one who should be saying sorry for biting your head off." She hung her head. Ben leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. The two shared a small smile before, without warning, Kevin slammed on the brakes. Gwen screeched, much to her dismay, and placed her hands out to brace herself against the dash. The small jeweled handbag that had been laying on her lap flew down onto the floor. Something thudded against the back of her seat and the center console. Judging from the groan that accompanied the movement, she guessed it was Ben, who probably had disregarded wearing his seatbelt again.

"What the hell was that about?" He grumbled, his head appearing between her and Kevin. The older boy unbuckled himself, then pointed out of the right side of the windshield. The Forever Knights had stopped abruptly a distance away from the crater that had been formed by the crash. In the dying sunlight, she could see each one of their armored suits as they filed from the van and jogged out towards the slope.

"Looks like they won." Kevin grumbled. Ben scraped himself from the center console and peered through the back window. For a minute, the trio simply surveyed the scene. One by one, the knights jumped down into the gigantic hole. When finally none remained by the vans, Ben patted Kevin and Gwen's headrest.

"Time to go to work, guys."

Kevin quietly got out of the driver's seat, walking around the front to open Gwen's door. She mumbled her thanks as he offered her his hand. The ground was a bit uneven and already she regretted the decision to keep on her heels. They were modest, but still distracting. She tried not to totter past him as she moved so Ben could push her seat forward and unfurl himself from the back seat. To get to the crater, they would have to slide down another embankment and then quickly get across at least a half mile of sand and rocky terrain. She eyed the route grimly, before tossing her handbag back onto her seat.

"Lock the door. My allowance for the month is in there." She warned Kevin. He rolled his eyes a little, but did as he was told.

"I thought I was paying tonight." He pointed out. She shrugged in response, forming a flat mana plane to step on.

"It never hurts to be prepared. You guys coming?" She held out her hands to both of them, helping them onto the shield. Kevin grabbed onto her arm to keep his balance as she willed them forward over the edge of the embankment. Ben tried not to, but as the ground fell away from them, he began to sway a little. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, giving him a pointed look. He smiled sheepishly and wound an arm around hers.

"Did you guys see that?" Kevin called. A bright flash of light had gone off in the crater, but disappeared as quickly as it had come. Gwen narrowed her eyes as they got closer.

"That probably isn't a good sign."

"Let's find out." Ben pulled down his sleeve, revealing the Omnitrix. After a bit of fuddling with the dial, he finally found what he was looking for, and he slammed down the dial. A green light momentarily blinded the pair left on the mana shield before Jet Ray flew out into the air before them. He glided a bit before going into a rapid nose dive, aiming for the heart of the crater.

"Don't let him get there before us!" Kevin complained. "He's going to have all the fun!" Gwen made sure he caught her sour glare.

"The faster he gets this over with, the faster we can get back to our date, remember?" She scolded. Kevin crossed his arms over his large chest and gave her a stern look of his own.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't get to help!"

"Watch out!" Jet Ray's voice rang out through the clear desert air. Gwen turned back to the crater, only to see the entire world go a brilliant shade of white. Beside her, she felt Kevin throw his arms up around her, his body pivoting so she now faced his chest. Her concentration faltered as the light continued to fill her line of vision. The mana shield holding the two of them high in the air flickered for a moment before fizzling out of existence. They plunged downwards, towards the ground, Gwen giving a small yelp of surprise, when suddenly Kevin's arms tightened around her and she felt their downward progress stop.

"What was that?" Kevin called. The sound of wind rushing by them meant that Ben had caught them. Gwen felt her lungs burning, realizing that she had been holding her breath unconsciously. She took a deep breath and clung to her boyfriend's powerful upper body.

"I'm not sure. Some kind of spotlight? I didn't get to see it very well before they set it off. Are you guys okay?" Kevin's feet touched the sandy floor before hers did and he kept holding her as her knees buckled at the unexpected contact with terra firma. The entire world was still violently white. She blinked experimentally and rubbed at her eyes, forgetting about her makeup.

"Did they shut it off?" She asked warily. Kevin released his hold on her. She could hear him moving. The Omnitrix beeped somewhere to her left and she turned her head towards the sound of Ben devolving back into his human form.

"Yeah. We'll have to be a bit more careful the next time we get close. If – Gwen, are you okay?" She heard him step forward towards her, but she still could see nothing but white. When she shut her eyes, everything went black. With a small gasp, she reached a hand up towards her cousin.

"I can't see anything." She admitted calmly, though beneath her cool exterior, she felt a bit of panic rise up inside of her stomach. At her response, Kevin turned sharply around. Before she knew it, both boys had flanked her, grabbing one arm each.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't see anything! Its all...all...white!" She cried out in frustration. She rapidly opened and closed her eyes a few times, hoping that the effects would wear off, but it didn't seem to be working.

"The flash must have temporarily blinded you. Don't worry, it should be fine." Ben reassured. Gwen raised her eyebrows at his unconvincing tone.

"Should be?" She croaked.

"Will be. Don't worry babe." Kevin cooed into her ear. She turned her head towards where she thought he might be.

"How will it be fine? I'm blind!"

"Only for a little while."

"How do either of you know that?" She screamed.

"Because I know what the Forever Knights have. It's a concentrated light beam generator. A lot of alien ships have them on the hulls. They're kind of like headlights on a car, only a lot stronger." Her boyfriend explained.

"That doesn't make me feel better." Gwen growled.

"It should because it means that your eyes just have to adjust back to normal. We weren't hit by it or anything. You must have glimpsed it before I blocked you. Stay here, Ben and I will go handle everything."

"You're going to just leave me here!" She cried out. Slowly, they lowered her to the ground, until she was seated, then let go of her arms. She stretched them as far as they could go, moving her hands, trying to catch one of them about the legs. "Don't you dare!"

"What else are we supposed to do, Gwen?" Ben asked exasperatedly. "Let the Forever Knights haul a super-powered high beam back to one of their castles?"

"Well, no, but I-"

"It won't take long." He continued.

"I don't want to just sit here." She whined.

"Why not? The faster we get this over with, the faster you get your date, right?" She growled as his tone turned arrogant.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." She felt Kevin give her a quick peck on the forehead before hearing their running footfalls in the sand. The rest of her protests came out as incoherent stutters and fragments, before she gave up grudgingly. With a huff, she crossed her arms over herself, bringing her knees together to protect her modesty. Just as Kevin said, the white light had begun to fade, and already she could begin making out blobs of what she assumed was the landscape. She began to blink as fast as she could again, hoping to speed along the process, while also listening for any sounds of the battle in the crater. A few minutes passed before she heard even the faintest sound of armor crashing together. A smile crept to her lips, despite herself.

"Who'd have figured? They can handle themselves without me." Gwen said flippantly, to no one in particular. Then, as if on cue, she heard a strangled cry and a familiar mechanical whooshing that had occurred shortly before her world disappeared. Her breath caught in her throat as there was suddenly nothing more. A gentle breeze brought her the faintest hint of voices, but she recognized neither word nor person.

"Ben! Kevin!" She called. The only answer she received was her own echoing voice. The continuing silence could not be a good sign. "Come on guys, they're just Forever Knights!" She shouted again, hoping to encourage some action. When nothing happened, she bit her lip. Something was wrong. Without another thought, she rose uneasily to her feet, eyeing the incredibly blurry environment with trepidation. She didn't know how far away she even was from the battle. A few steps forward and her heel sunk into a soft patch of dirt, effectively stopping her forward progress as she fell sideways onto her side.

"Guys! Come on, answer me!" Gwen tried again. Again, no response. By now, horrible scenarios had begun to fill her head, of Ben and Kevin wandering around the ravine in the same state she was in, or worse. What if one of them had been hit head on by the beam? What if the knights were just toying with them, getting a bit of payback before going in for the kill? She gasped in horror as another shout carried its way across the terrain to her. That was the final straw.

Summoning all the mana she could, she felt her powers infiltrate every fiber, every nerve of her being. Her vision faded from a muddled puddle of grays to a vivid magenta, which in turn melted away to reveal the evening desert. The land appeared in the negative, as it did whenever she allowed herself to slip into her Anodite form. Perhaps it was a bit excessive, she thought as she found herself flying across the dust and the tumbleweeds, but at least she could see now. Her glowing, purple body rocketed itself over the edge of the crater, where she quickly identified the gang of armored Forever Knights, surrounding a dazed looking Ben and Kevin, whose metal armor had been half-torn off.

"Gwen?" She heard him say, but she was already quickly dispensing of the knights. Tendrils of her long, white hair began to throw various suits up and out of the impression, while she faced those who turned the light beam generator towards her. "Bad idea, guys!" He called

"Go ahead. But I'll warn you, I don't fall for the same trick twice." Gwen warned, hearing her own voice layered with another, deeper one. She smirked as two of the knights grasped the torn cables beneath the generator, touching them together, and igniting the machine. The beam erupted forth from the smoking heap of metal and hit her straight on. She watched in interest as the light particles passed around her and through her, amazed at the whistling sound they created. Apparently, her human ears couldn't hear such small things.

When the light had ebbed, she remained floating in the same spot she had been before. The two knights running the machine tried once again to touch their cables, but Gwen was beside them before they even knew it.

"Last chance. Leave or face the consequences." She threatened. The knights didn't need to be told twice.

"Run away!" The taller of the two cried, joining the rest of their brethren trying to scrabble out of the crater. "Run away from the alien witch!" At this, Gwen began to laugh, allowing all the power of her Anodite form to slip through her skin, feeling her shoes hit the ground with a distinct satisfaction. Uneasily, she turned towards Kevin and Ben, falling to her knees in the process.

"Always a little shaky after that." She breathlessly said, looking up over the short expanse at them. Ben's gaze was directed somewhere above her head, and Kevin was staring at her wide-eyed. The two of them didn't move or speak. Slowly, the laughter died in her chest. "Are you guys okay?"

"I looked at the light." Ben quietly whined. Kevin looked down at him as if just realizing he was there. He stopped supporting him, moving out from behind him to walk over towards Gwen. She took the hand he offered, rising to her feet, and dusting off the dress from the sand and grime that had gotten all over it.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?" Kevin asked her quietly. Gwen found herself blushing a little, but brushed it off as she smoothed her hair back from her forehead.

"Me kicking some ass and taking some names? Most definitely." She waited for him to scold her but it didn't come. Instead, he let out a little laugh and ruffled the hair she had just tamed. "Hey!"

"Sometimes, I forget just who we're dealing with." He said with a mixture of pride and affection. Gwen couldn't have smothered her smile if she tried.

"Hey, can you see again?" Ben called out from his spot on the floor. Gwen peered around Kevin's hulking form at her cousin. He was groping around the sand pitifully. She stifled a bit of a chuckle, then went to assist him.

"Yeah. Using mana works a lot better than blinking. Here." Both she and Kevin grabbed onto one of his flailing arms and began to haul him towards the crater's edge.

"What are we going to do with that thing?" Kevin jutted a jaw out towards the spotlight.

"I don't know. Smash it?" Ben suggested, still blinking rapidly to dispel his temporary blindness. Gwen and Kevin shared a look and then he shrugged.

"You want to do the honors?" He asked her. She sighed dramatically.

"Must I do everything tonight?"

* * *

a/n: i have been trrryiiing to write for weeeeks! i have so many stories that i'm working on finishing and uploading, including updates, so hopefully getting this on here will help unclog that writer's block.


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